Students’ perceptions on distance education: a multinational study

• Published in: International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education Vol. 17; no. 18; pp. 1 - 18
• Main Authors: Fidalgo, Patricia, Thormann, Joan, Kulyk, Oleksandr, Lencastre, José Alberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham SpringerOpen 20.05.2020; Springer International Publishing; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ciências da Educação; Ciências Sociais; Colleges & universities; Computer Appl. in Social and Behavioral Sciences; Computer Science; Computers and Education; Distance Education; Distance learning; Education; Educational Needs; Educational Strategies; Educational Technology; Higher Education; Humanities; Information Systems Applications (incl.Internet); Language Skills; Law; Motivation; Multinational study; Perceptions of distance education; Research Article; Social Sciences; Statistics for Social Sciences; Students; Time management; Undergraduate Students; Distance education; Undergraduate students; Perceptions of distance education; Multinational study
• ISSN: 2365-9440; 2365-9440
• DOI: 10.1186/s41239-020-00194-2

Many universities offer Distance Education (DE) courses and programs to address the diverse educational needs of students and to stay current with advancing technology. Some Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) that do not offer DE find it difficult to navigate through the steps that are needed to provide such courses and programs. Investigating learners’ perceptions, attitudes and willingness to try DE can provide guidance and recommendations for IHEs that are considering expanding use of DE formats. A survey was distributed to undergraduate students in Portugal, UAE and Ukraine. The results of this pilot study showed that in all three countries, students’ major concerns about such programs were time management, motivation, and English language skills. Although students were somewhat apprehensive many indicated they were interested in taking DE courses. Six recommendations informed by interpretation of students’ responses and the literature, are offered to assist institutions who want to offer DE as part of their educational strategy. “This work is funded by CIEd – Research Centre on Education, Institute of Education, University of Minho, projects UIDB/01661/2020 and UIDP/01661/2020, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT.”